Greenies Pill Pockets

I finally got back into a semi-upright position to continue with these groaners. (I know you’re all very happy!) What is a dog’s favorite kind of ice cream? Pupsicles! Thanks to the fine folks at Family Minded for keeping us entertained while I’m down and out.

During the past few months, I’ve been watching Forrest Galante’s Extinct or Aliveon Animal Planet, and I have been greatly impressed. This show’s premise is kind of like Finding Bigfoot, but unlike that show, there is actually a fairly good chance of finding the animal in question.

The first episode was a search for the Zanzibar leopard, an endemic subspecies of leopard that has been declared extinct for some time. Even the locals, some of whom include the leopard in their traditional religions, don’t believe they still exist.

But you know what? Galante’s team caught an image of one on a trail camera, and now there is serious talk about developing a conservation plan for this ende

This show uses lots of trail cameras and electronic animal calls, which are devices I know do work.

Two of the episodes were about cryptic wolves. One was about wolves in Newfoundland. Yes, the island, not Labrador. That episode focused heavily on the wolf that was shot in Newfoundland back in 2012. It may not have been the exact same subspecies of white wolf that lived in Newfoundland at the time of contact, but it clearly showed that at least one wolf had managed to cross the sea ice, just as coyotes did.

The team staked out several areas that looked promising for wolves, and they played an electronic caller. I know how frustrating waiting on a timid wild canid to respond to these calls can be, but in that episode, thermal footage of large wolf-like canids were captured.

The other episode that focused on wolves was the search for the Florida black wolf, a creature mentioned quite extensively by Bartram in his eighteenth century. The original claim was of a black panther in Florida, but Galante thought a wolf would be a more likely candidate.

The team did find a large canid track that matched a coyote’s track, but it was of exceptional large size. My guess is this track was left by a large Eastern coyote, many of which have wolf ancestry and, particularly in the Southeast, are often melanistic.

There was no discussion of red wolves on this episode, which I almost expected. I find discussions about red wolves a bit tedious, just because some of the assumptions behind their species status have been called into question.

And one issue is the red wolf paradigm has essentially removed the true wolves of the Southeast from the public discussion about wolves in North America. The wolves that lived in the Southeast were either red sable or melanistic, and melanism was such a common feature that Bartram reported not seeing a wolf of any other color in Florida.

Galante showed the image of the black wolf of Tensas, a remnant population of Southern black wolves that lived in Louisiana, that was captured by early trail camera by Tappan Gregory. These black wolves probably are the wolf component of the current hybrid red wolf, which are mostly coyote in ancestry now.

So though I doubt that that Galante would be able to find evidence of the original black wolf of Florida, I bet he very well could come across one of these large Southern melanistic coyotes that have both wolf and dog ancestry.

Maybe this animal is evolving in parallel to the older form with a different wolf stock at the base.

One other aspect of this show that I do enjoy is how much Galante goes out of his way to look for other interesting animals. The season finale was about the search of the great auk in the Faroes, but he spent considerable time observing other seabird species. I happen to find puffins and guillemots quite fascinating, even if the great auk is likely lost to the ages.

Galante is an effective science communicator. His conservation message is as passionate but clear. He is able to tell the story of the animal in question, and all the time, you’re truly hoping that one will appear on a trail camera or come coursing forth on the thermal imaging camera.

I have largely stopped watching wildlife documentaries because the quality just isn’t what they could be. I grew up watching all the old Survival Anglia nature films, and I almost expect the narrator to speak using received pronunciation, a bit of prejudice that Sir David Attenborough has made even worse for me.

I also dislike nature documentaries that are just pulpy and lack any real depth.

Extinct or Alive is a breath of fresh air. The show is truly about understanding the issues related to extinction and the concept of a Lazarus species, and it is exciting and entertaining at the same time.

So I am definitely looking forward to the next season this wonderful series. If you’re into this type of science-based natural history investigations, then I think you will be deeply impressed with Extinct or Alive.

I’ve not been this excited for a nature series since I was a teenager.

I posted earlier this week about some potential problems with grain-free diets, and it got me to wondering what people feed their dogs. I am currently using the BARF (bones and raw food) diet, only because Penny is allergic to beef, so I can control ingredients better this way. Until next time, Good day, and […]

A couple of weeks ago, we took a 10 day trip to Colorado. The kids and I spent most of the trip in Summit County, at 9,000+ feet elevation, right in the middle of the Rockies. Robbie spent half the trip up there with us (and his parents and brother’s family), and the other half working at Red Rocks outside of Morrison, where the band did a 3-night show. (The kids and I also went down to Red Rocks for a couple of the nights, which was a special treat.)

I used to live in Leadville (fairly close to where we stayed), and this part of the country holds some magical memories for me. The people in my life who I consider to be my best friends in the world were met during my time living there. And it’s truly one of the most physically beautiful places in the world. It was really wonderful to see some of my dearest friends, and to spend so much time with Robbie’s family as well. The kids had so much fun hanging out with their cousins. It was an easy, comfortable trip (well, aside from the flights with Emmett, who thinks sitting still on an airplane is the worst idea ever – but that’s a whole different story to tell).

This was also one of the only trips I’ve taken in the last few years where I took a real chunk of time off work. I’m so grateful for that time I had to recharge in such a tranquil place – especially because the morning after we returned home, one of my best friends in the world passed away after a year long battle with ALS. It was intense and beautiful to have just been in the place where he and I first met 23 years ago, less than a day before we had to say goodbye.

I miss living in the Colorado high country, but I also know that where we are now is where we’re meant to be. We hope to make this summertime trip to the mountains an annual thing though. It’s nice to get that mountain fix and then come back to home sweet home.

The last couple of weeks have been emotionally intense for me. I’ve felt very anxious. And over the years, when this happens, I find that one of the “solutions” (besides breathing and practicing mindfulness, which honestly do help me) is to just seek out things that bring me inspiration on some level. I don’t have the time or freedom these days to do that by getting in a car and driving across the country like I did in my 20s, but I’m fortunate enough to have a phone and computer and outlets like Pinterest to provide images of things that feel inspiring to me. Today I thought I’d share some of them with you. If you’re in need of a little inspiration, I hope they help you too.

I have been compensated by the JOHNSON’S® Brand for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help male Bubby and Bean possible.

It’s no secret that one of my greatest joys is finding ways to use my little ones’ baby and kid products for other uses. This is especially true when it comes to hacking their JOHNSON’S® Baby products for beauty use. I mean, we already have them on hand, they’re super gentle on skin, and they’re affordable – it’s a no brainer. It’s kind of exciting when you realize how many ways they can be used in place of expensive beauty products. Today I’m sharing with you 10 super cool beauty hacks you can do using JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil, JOHNSON’S Baby HEAD TO TOE™ Cleansing Cloths, and JOHNSON’S® Baby Powder. Woohoo!

1. Baby oil for taming split ends. I’m telling you guys, there is no better way to tame the ends of your hair than with a little baby oil. I like JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E. I have naturally frizzy hair, which tends to show up the most in the ends. I just squeeze a couple of drops on my fingers and rub into the ends of dry hair, and they immediately look better.

2. Baby oil for removing eye makeup. My mom always used JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil to remove her eye makeup when I was growing up, and as soon as I started using makeup, it became my go-to as well. It even removes waterproof mascara with the swipe of a cotton ball.

3. Baby oil for glowing, shimmery legs. I read somewhere that rubbing baby oil on legs is a trick of celebrities to make them look shiny and glowing for events. And I’m telling you guys, it works! I apply a few drops of JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E as soon as I get out of the shower while my legs are still wet.

5. Baby oil as a cuticle moisturizer. My cuticles get dry so easily, but I’ve found that rubbing a couple of drops of JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil into them before bed keeps them soft and under control. It can also be used for touch ups to remove excess nail polish from your skin when doing at home manicures and pedicures.

6. Baby cleansing cloths for quick skin clean up. When you have two little kids and spend a lot of time outside chasing after them, you get dirty fast. I carry a container of JOHNSON’S Baby HEAD TO TOE™ Cleansing Cloths in my purse everywhere I go – they’re a life saver for quick skin clean ups. They’re also great for feeling fresh after a flight or long road trip.

7. Baby cleansing clothes to remove hair dye from skin. The older I get, the more often I’m touching up my grey roots at home. (SIGH.) Because I am far from an expert colorist, I always get excess dye on my forehead and cheeks. With a gentle scrub of a JOHNSON’S Baby HEAD TO TOE™ Cleansing Cloth, I’m good to go in seconds.

8. Baby cleansing clothes for on-the-go makeup remover. When I’m traveling, I always bring a package of JOHNSON’S Baby HEAD TO TOE™ Cleansing Cloths to use to remove my makeup at night. So much easier than carting around all of my cleansers! (And so handy for quickly removing dirt and food from my kids’ faces too!)

9. Baby powder as a dry shampoo. A dear friend taught me this trick when we were at a festival in Yosemite years ago and didn’t have access to a shower every day. JOHNSON’S® Baby Powder (I love the Calming Lavender variety) is made from pure cornstarch (no talc!) and with a few shakes and a brush through, my hair feels clean and is full of volume. One of my all time favorite beauty hacks!

10. Baby powder to keep eye makeup in place. I give my eyelids a quick swipe of a little JOHNSON’S® Baby Powder after applying shadow and liner, and my makeup is set in place all day long.

If you have any other beauty hacks you love using baby products, please share! And if you’d like to try any of these yourself, head over to your local Walmart (we get ours there, in the baby product aisle inside of the kids’ section) and grab some JOHNSON’S® Baby products of your own!

If someone is reporting an adverse event or a product quality complaint, please tell them to call the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) North America Consumer Care Center at 800-361-8068 during normal business hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. After normal business hours, they can report adverse events or product quality complaints through www.jnj.com Contact Us page.